The fact that Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho chose not to join Portugal’s U21 squad continues being mentioned in the country’s media.
Following the statement from the Portuguese Football Federation saying the midfielder communicated his decision to them, that subject was mentioned at the national team’s press conference.
It was Benfica youngster Henrique Araujo who spoke to Portuguese journalists on Tuesday, and there was a specific question about the Liverpool player.
The striker asked people to respect Fabio Carvalho’s decision, pointing out there’ll be other players willing to take his spot.
“It was a little surprising for us. In these kind of things, what’s important is for the player in question to feel good. And if Fabio felt that the best thing for him would be not to be here, or not to continue with us in the U21 team, I think it is a very personal decision,” said Henrique Araujo (via Mais Futebol).
Fabio Carvalho had played for England earlier on in his youth career, and it was only at the U21 level that he chose to feature for his home country. For now, it’s unknown why he chose to abandon the squad for whom he had a few caps already.
Newspaper A Bola pointed out that the Liverpool player is still eligible to play for England’s first team, so that may be a reason for him to give up on Portugal’s U21.
